Load discharging gondola car



4 Sheets-Sheet l A. CAMPBELL LOAD DISCHARGING GONDQLA CAR Filed July 16, 1931 INVENTOR. ARG YL E @.MPELL ATTO Jan. 3, 1933.

Jah' 3, 1933-y A. CAMPBELL Y 1,892,868

LOAD DISCHARGING GONDOLA CAR Filed July 16. v1951 4 sneetssheet 2 {ooooooooocaopoooooqooo +P; *1 6 ,1 -y 5 al [N V EN TOR. /WGYLE CAMPBELL ATTO EY.

Jan. 3, 1933. A. CAMPBELL 1,892,868

LOAD DISCHARGING GONDOLA GAR Filed July 16, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet C5 INVENTOR. AKGYL E CAMPBELL ATTOR EY.

Jan. 3, 1933. A. CAMPBELL LOAD DISCHARGING GONDOLA CAR Filed July 16, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 A TTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 3, 1933 unire eras-s ARGYLE CAMPBELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,` ASSIGNOB TO ENTERPRISE RAILWAY EQUIPMENT COMPANY, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINIS, A CORPORATION vOF ILLINOIS LOAD DISCHARGING GONIDOIJA CAR Application :filed July y16,

My invention relates to improvements in load discharging gondola cars.

The tendency in recent years'towards railroad cars of heavier tonnage has brought about increased length of cars and necessitated an increased number ot doors inthe ioor ot' dumping cars. As an illustration, gondola coal cars of VYO-tons capacity having drop doors in the iioor extending from end tov end and having an inside length of approximately forty-eight feet siX inches have been introduced in service, such cars being usually provided with nine doors to each side of the car7 the operation of the doors being elected from the respective ends of the car in units of four and ive doors respectively. Inasmu ch as the operation of tive doors in unison deposits lading in a pile extending a distance of approximately thirty feet, it will be apo preciated that such cars are unwieldly for operation in districts where receiving bins are of restricted length, and furthermore the operation of tive heavy doors at one time is not conducive to one man operation.

My improved construction contemplates a more uniform operation of the doors and in multiples permitting the discharge ot the load in piles restricted to a length in keeping with the length ot bins in general use, and whereby the doors may be easily opened and closed by one man of average strength.

A more particular object of my invention is to permit the operation on each side of the car ot sections oi three doors each, the operation ot the end sections of three doors each being'effected from the respective ends ot' the car,y and the intermediate sections of three doors being operated from locations disposed at approximately one-third the length ofthe car from the ends of said car.

My improved construction further contemplates hc simultaneous operation ot two end doors above the trucks together with one of c the intermediate doors in unison, the latter J having a greater degree of slope and larger door opening permitting a large proportion et the load controiled by the three doors to be directed away from the restricted door openin above the trucks and to be directed W through'the door having the largest degree of CFI 1931. Serial No. 551,158.

longer than a hopper car of corresponding n cubical capacity, and when such long cars are used in service for hauling sand, gravel, stone, iron ore or other similar heavy bulk commodities which require only approxiaately one-halt the cubical capacity required for coal cars of equa-l tonnage7 it is usual to concentrate the lading at each end of the car above the trucks, leaving the central portion of the car with little or no load carried thereon. Under .such circumstances the advantages oi my improved construction will be evident, as the load being concentrated above the end sections of three doors each, may be released by operation of the end sections only and lading deposited in two comparatively short piles for each side of `the car. The intermediate section of doors could then remain in closed position and any small quantities of material remaining thereon be shoveled through the adjacent end discharge openings. On the other hand should the necessity arise for discharging a full load ot coal in a bin of restricted length such as usually employed in connection with hopper cars, a large proportion of the load in the car may bedischarged through the intermediate section of doors and the remainder of the load which is controlled by the two respective end sections could either be shoveled through the intermediate openings or the car moved to bring the end sec-tions of doors in alignment with the discharge bins.

It is also an object of my invention to provide improved door operating device disposed beneath a fixed floor section in ,such a manner as to present a minimum extent of fixed floor area above the door operating means.

It is also an object of my invention to provide an improved operating device for a bodily movable and rotatable shaft such as will not interfere with the operation of the door.

My invention further resides in certain improvements of part-s and details of construction such as will be hereinafter fully pointed out and claimed.

For further comprehension of my invention, reference may be had to the following drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical elevational view of a so-called gondola type of car embodying my improved construction and arrangement of parts;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the car illustrated in Fig. 1, certain parts being broken away to more fully illustrate the door mechanisms;

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal elevational view of that portion of the car illustrated in Fig. 1 showing, on an enlarged scale, the construction adjacent the operating means for the intermediately operated doors;

Fig. t is a plan view showing approximately one-half the width of the car, being that port-ion of the car illustrated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical .sectional view showing the door locking mechanism, said section being taken on a line corresponding substantially to a line 5 5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing the door operating and locking mechanism as taken on a line corresponding substantially to a line 6 6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a transverse vertical elevational view taken through a line 7 7 of Fig. 3, said view illustrating the outer end of the door and the link winding door mechanism associated therewith;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical elevational view taken through the car and on a line corresponding substantially to a line 8 8 of Fig. 4, said view illustrating the end and intermediate doors in their open-ed position.

In said drawings the truck parts are indicated at A including wheels 1() and truck side frame members 11.

The body of the car includes side walls B, each wall including` upper and lower chord members indicated at 12 and 13 respectively; side stakes 14 and 15, the former being of generally hollow U form structure, and latter', which are preferably disposed at intervals of one-third the length of the car, being of built-up special construction consisting of a Z bar 16 and angle member 17, Fig. 4t, for the purpose of accommodating door operating shaft locking and rotating mechanism in a manner as will hereinafter be described. The end walls of the car are indicated at 13, each wall having a top reinforcing member 19 and a lower outstanding marginal edge floor portion 2O at the lower portion thereof.

The centersill structure includes vertical web members 21-21, Fig. 3, each reinforced at the top and bottom by angle-shaped members 22. Extending transversely of the car from tl e centersills to the sides are a series of cross members consisting of body bolsters C-C disposed immediately over the centers of the trucks, main cross beam members VD D disposed in alignment with the special stakes 15. The remaining crossbeams are indicated at E. The crossbearers D and E each include a pan-shaped diaphragm 23 on each side of the center-sill, said diaphragm being tied together across the centersill by bottom tie plates 24 and top cover plates as indicated at 25 for crossbearers D, and at 26 for crossbearers E, the plates 25 of members D being somewhat wider than plate 26 used in connection with crossbearers E.

The body holsters C C which are of conventional design for this type of car are also provided with transverse tioor plates 27 which are of greater width than either crossbeam top plates 25 or 26. Said floor plates 25, 26 and 27 are extended to the sides of the car and crimped as indicated at 28 to overlie the horizontal ange 29 of the side wall lower chord member 13. rifhe said transverse loor pla es 25, 26 and 27 in combination with the end marginal floor portion 2O serve to divide each side of the car lengthwise into nine panels, the spacing between their marginal edges of said transverse Hoor sections being preferably equidistant for all the panels thereby providing for discharge openings 30 of equal size throughout the length of the car. rlhis varying width of the bolsters and crossbeam cover plates therefore necessitates some variations in the spacing of the stakes and crossinembers in order to maintain equal door openings throughout the length of the car.

Each of the said door openings 30 is adapted to be closed by a discharge door F. The doors are adapted to be operated in multiples of preferably three doors, each providing for three operations for each side of the car, by means of operating shafts indicated at G, H and J respectively, said shafts therefore providing for controlling the discharge of the lading in sections of door units of a length extending for one-third the length of the car, as indicated in Figs. 1 and at 31, and 33, respectively.

The door winding shafts are adapted to be rotated by lever and ratchet mechanisms K, Figs. 1 and 2, located at the respective ends of the car for the shafts G and fi which control the end doors, and adjacent the special crossmembers D for the shafts which control the intermediate section of doors. Locking means L for preventing reverse rotation of the operating shafts during operalCO CEv

trunnions` formed integrally with wall 72 indicated at 77 and 78 respectively, and a tie plate 79 overlies said members and maintains them in the proper spaced relation. rlhe special stake arrangementand the disposition of the locking mechanism K and winding mechanism L side by side in a restri cted space provides for an unusually cor pact mechanism.

lt will be noted by reference to Figs. 3 and 6 that certain portions of the winding mechanism are disposed beneath the door when the latter is in closed position, but said portions are moved outwardly beyond the free edge of the door when the shaft lies in the outer ends of the shaft brackets. The pivotal center of trunnions 77 which is also the pivotal center of pawl 67, as best indicated in Fig. 8, lies substantially equidistant from the axial centers of the shaft when the shaft is in either end of the slotted brackets, thus permitting of uniform engagement between the pawl and associated ratchet wheel during the raising of the door as well as when the shaft is in full supporting position beneath the doors, the latter position of the shaft being indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 8.

The locking pawl 67 not only maintains the ratchet wheel against rotation, but also serves to lock the shaft against bodily movement in an unlocking direction. When the locking dog 68 is swung into engagement against the locking pawl 67 as illustrated in Fig. 5, said dog and pawl acting against the surface 8O of the toothed ratchet positively locks the shaft against bodily movement on a line extending in a direction indicated by the arrow line 81, and furthermore acts as a safety measure to ensure the full extent of travel of the shaft beneath the door before the locking dog may be placed in operative locking position. The location of the locking dog outwardly beyond the car side wall provides for full visibility and ease of operation.

rlhe shaft locking means for the shafts G and H controlling the end sections or groups of doors are of similar formation with the exception that the bracket member on which the pawl and dog are mounted is modified in the construction of its attaching walls.

The advantages from a. load discharging standpoint of the three unit operation per side is illustrated in Fig. l by the inclined dotted lines which indicate the material remaining in the end portions of the car after discharge of the lading has been effected through the intermediate section of three doors, the slope of the lading line 82-82 substantially corresponds to the slope incorporated in the usual hopper car and it will thus be seen that approximately one-half the lading in the car may be discharged through operation of only one-third the doors in the Hoor of the car.

-I claim:

l. A railway car of thev character described, including a centersill in combination with doors hinged adjacent the centersill and opening outwardly to discharge to the sides of the track, said doors extending from end to end of the car and being separated by a series 'of transversely extending fixed floor sections, there being nine sections to each side of the car, and means for operating said doors in sections of three doors each.

2. In a car of the character described, the combination with the centersill and trucks for the car; of doors hinged adjacent the centersill and opening outwardly to discharge the load, said doors being disposed above the trucks and intermediately thereof, there being on each side of the car a greater number of doors intermediate said trucks than above the trucks and means for operating a majority of the intermediate doors in unison independently of the doors above the trucks.

3. In railway car of the character described, the combination with the centersill; of doors hinged adjacent the centersill and opening outwardly to discharge to the side of the track, said doors extending from end to end of the car and being separated by a series of transversely extending xed floor sections, said doors on each side of the car being operable in independent sections each including a plurality of doors, said operations being effected from the ends of the car and from a location disposed at a distance from the end of the car of substantially one third the length of the car.

a. ln a car of the character described having trucks adjacent each end; a plurality of doors above the trucks and a plurality of doors intermediate the trucks, said doors being hinged adjacent the centersills and opening to a sloping position for discharge to the sides of the car; said doors extending lengthwise and arranged in sections on each side of the centersill, there being on each side of the centersill two doors above the trucks at each .end of car and five intermediate doors on each side of the car between the trucks; means for operating the two doors over each truck and one of the intermediate doors from a location adjacent the end of the car; and means for operating the remaining doors independently.

5. In a car of the character described having trucks adjacent each end, the combination of a plurality of doors above the trucks and a plurality of doors intermediate the trucks, said doors being hinged adjacent the centersill and opening to a sloping position for discharge to the sides of the car, said doors extending lengthwise in sections on each side of the centersills, there being nine doors to each side located two doors above 55, Fig. 5.

tion of the doors and for locking said shafts in closed position are located immediately adjacent each lever and ratchet mechanism K.

The various dumping doors F being of similar construction the description will be confined to only one of such doors. Each said door includes a body section 34 preferably formed of metal plate and flanged at its rear, front and sido edges as indicated at 35, 36 and 37, respectively, the rear edge of the door being of arcuate formation as indicated at 38 substantially concentric with respect to the axis or hinge pivot 39. rlhe hinge pivot is mounted on hinge brackets 40 carried by the centersill. Connection between each hinge pivot 39 and the door is effected by hinge straps 41 connected to the door by rivets eX- tending through hinge beams 42, the latter extending outwardly from the hinged edge of the door towards the free edge thereof. Parallel to the free edge of the door and adjacent thereto there is a Z-shaped reinforcement 43, Figs. 4 and 8, which connects with the hinge beam 42 through the medium of a gusset 44, and cooperating with said member 43 there are two brackets 45. Each bracket has project-ing portions 46 extending beyond the front flange 36 of the door through an opening 47, Fig. 3, formed in said flange. Said bracket is formed fith a wall 48 on each side of the opening 47 and connection is effected thereby by means of rivets 49 with said front flange 36 of the door.

Cooperating with the projecting portions 46 of the door brackets are winding and supporting link mechanisms M, Figs. 3 and 7, carried by the respective operating shafts. There are preferably two winding and supporting mechanisms M per door, each consisting of a hub member 50 liXedly mounted on its associated operating shaft, and each said hub is provided with a plurality of flat faces around which wind a series of pivoted links as indicated at 5l, 52, 53 and 54, respectively, the link 54 being pivotally connected with the projecting portions 46 of the door bracket 45.

The respective operating shafts are mounted for bodily movement in slotted brackets The shaft, to release the doors, is movable from a supporting position beneath the door to a position in the outer portion of the slots and beyond the path of movement of the doors.

rlhe winding link connections for those of the doors immediately above the trucks are of reduced length as compared with the connections for the doors intermediate the trucks,

, said link connections being` indicated con` in the length of the links, thereby permitting the two different degrees of door openings with a given angular movement of the shaft.

The end sections or groups of doors 3l and 32 controlled by shafts (i and H include in each section two doors above the trucks having the restricted door slopes and door openings and one door having the steeper slope and larger door opening, the latter door being one of the intermediate doors in the length of the car. This arrangement of having in the end group.1 an intermediate door, with its steep slope and large door opening, operating in unison with doors having the restricted slope, greatly increases the dumping efficiency of the car for the reason that the lading directed through the freer discharging door opening relieves the doors having the lesser opening of a large projiortion of the load which, with certain classes of lading, would tend to choke the lesser opening.

The shaft rotating mechanisms l are of similar construction for the different operating shafts and therefore the description will be confined to only one of such mechenisms. Said mechanism includes a toothed ratchet wheel 58, F ig. 6, finedly mounted upon its associated operating shaft and provided on each side with circular' bearing portions 59. Loosely mounted on said bearings 59, on opposite sides of the toothed portion, are. walls and 6l., the latter being provided with a socket portion 62 adapted to receive a removable operating bar. Said respective walls (i0 and 6l are rigidly united by a plurality of rivets 63, the walls being separated by spacing ferrules 64 one of which has a pawl 65 mounted thereon, said pawl being adapted to have engagement with the toothed portion of the ratchet wheel 5S for rotation of the shaft in either direction.

Referring to the shaft locking means L for the intermediate shafts J, said mechanism includes a toothed ratchet wheel 66, Fig. fixedly mounted on the shaft, and a locking pawl (i7 cooperable therewith, said pawl being adapted to be locked in fixed relation with the ratchet wheel by means of a locking dog 68. Said respective pawl and cam are mounted upon a bracket member 69, Fig. 8, having a horizontally extending v-.f'all TO secured to the horizontally extending flange 29 of the lower chord member 13 bv a rivet 7l. The bracket 69 is further pro fd with a wall section '.72 which overlies and is riveted to the vertical wall 73 of the crossbeam diaphragm and to the web 74 of the 2 bar stake member 16, said web 74 and vertical wall 73 of the diaphragm being disposed in alignment and tied together by the overlying wall portion 72. The inner flange 75 of the Z bar member 16 is cnt away below the side chord member as indicated at 76 to render the pawl and dog readily accessible. The pawl and dog are respectivcljY mounted on each truck and five doors intermediate the trucks; means for operating the end two doors over a truck and one of the intermediate doors in unison from a location adjacent the end of the car; and means for operating the remaining three intermediate doors in unison from a location intermediate the trucks.

6. In a car of the character described having trucks adjacent each end thereof; the combination of a centersill construction; a series of dumping doors hinged adjacent the centersill and opening outwardly to discharge to the sides of the car, said doors being disposed above the truck parts and intermediately thereof, said intermediate doors being movable to a steeper slope than the doors above the trucks; means for operating said doors from the ends of the car and from a location intermediate the ends whereby the lading will be discharged over three substantially equal spans, the operation of the doors above the truck and one of the intermediate doors at each end of the car being effected by operation from the ends of the car, and the operation of the intermediate doors being effected from a location between said intermediate section of three doors and one of the end sections of three doors.

In a car of the character described having trucks adjacent each end, the combination of a plurality of doors above the trucks and a plurality of doors intermediate the trucks, said doors being hinged adjacent the centersill and opening to a sloping position for discharge to the sides of Jthe track, said doors including nine doors to a side with two doors above each of the trucks and ve doorsv intermediately of the trucks, said intermediate doors being adapted to open a greater extent and provide a greater opening than the end doors; means for directing lading away from the car in three operations to a side, said means including for each side of the car an operating mechanism for operating the three intermediate doors in unison, and other means for operating the sections at each end of the car in units including two end doors over the trucks and one of the intermediate doors from locations adjacent the respective ends of the car.

8. n a railway car of the character described, the combination with a centersill construction; of doors hinged to said sill construction and opening to discharge lading to the sides of the car, said doors extending lengthwise of the car and embodying a plurality of doors arranged for operation in multiples of three doors each, said respective door operations being respectively effected from the ends of the car and intermediately thereof.

9. In a railway car including a center sill; a crossbeam extending'outwardly from the centersill having a vertically extending web section, a side stake having a web forming substantially a continuation of said stake; a discharge door extending from the centersill; an operating shaft extending through the crossbeam web section; a ratchet wheel iixed to the shaft; a connection from the shaft to the door; a bracket member having a wall section overlying the stake and crossbeam web and secured to both of said members; and a pawl pivotally mounted on said bracket member, said pawl being adapted to engage with the ratchet wheel on the shaft to maintain the latter against rotation.

10. ln arailway car, the combination with car construction including: a centersill; a side wall construction having a lower marginal flange outstanding therefrom; a transverse member extending from the centersill to the side wall of the car, said transverse member including an upstanding web section; and a discharge door pivotally mounted on the centersill and extending to the side wall; a door supporting shaft mounted adjacent the free edge of the door; a ratchet wheel mounted on said shaft; a pawl adapted to engage with said wheel; and a bracket constituting a support for said pawl, said bracket being secured to the upstanding web of the transverse member and to the outstanding flange of the car side wall.

11. ln a railway car, the combination with car construction including a side wall, side stake and crossbeam member; of a discharge door having its free edge adjacent the side wall of the car; a door supporting shaft mounted in said crossbeam member, said supporting shaft being movable by a rotary movement to a supporting position beneath the door; and means for preventing movement of the shaft beyond the free edge of the door, said means including: a locking pawl pivoted above the shaft and a locking dog adapted to prevent movement of the pawl,

said dog being located outwardly beyond the car side wall.

ARGYLE CAMPBELL. 

